First day of summer brings PR bonanza

With the arrival of the summer solstice, the season of beaches and picnics officially begins in the Northern Hemisphere. Where better to capture some PR mojo than Fairbanks, Alaska, where the sun won’t set today?

The city, better known in the Lower 48 for its long winters, is celebrating the sunshine with an epic Midnight Sun Festival, the Midnight Sun Baseball Game and the Midnight Sun Run.

Explore Fairbanks got out ahead of the holiday with a reminder on Tuesday of the glories of the midnight sun this week:

A little exuberance is to be expected in a land that also endures winter days when the sun never crosses the horizon. Still, those more inspired by human-designated holidays found plenty of other ways to newsjack June 21, given that it’s National Selfie Day, National Smoothie Day, National Indigenous Peoples Day in Canada and any number of other events.

Today, 21 June, is National Indigenous People Day. On this day, we honour Canada’s Indigenous peoples. We celebrate the First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples and their heritage and culture and the special role they have in defining Canada.

Google was right off the mark with a solstice-related doodle. But its Australian site, Google.com.au, curiously posted a summer doodle on winter solstice Down Under (or is that just how it displays in North America?):

For its part, Dunkin Donuts surely hopes those in a summery mood will pick up a baker’s dozen while dropping by for its offer of free lemonade.

From delis to doughnut makers, social media managers and marketers found ways to say, “Look at me!” There were even some freebies to be snagged for those who shrug off the onset of swimsuit season and are instead looking to pad the old spare tire:

Summer solstice coincides with National Smoothie Day. Planet Smoothie—a fitting name for this day in Earth’s orbit—is also looking for social sharing with its offer of lemonade. Rival Smoothie King isn’t taking this lying down, tweeting to build anticipation this week.

(When is somebody going to designate a really useful summer food day, such as National Bratwurst Day? Oh. Never mind.)

McDonald’s was eager to cash in on National Selfie Day. Still, call me slow-witted, but I have no idea what they’re giving away. (A Frylus?) Also, the U.S. Agriculture Department wants you to believe that cows take their own photos: